Material goods can be taken to the Community Clearinghouse, 2100 N. Nimitz Highway, near Pu'uhale Road. For large-item pickup, call 536-7234. Monetary donations help operate Community Clearinghouse programs year-round. For more information, call 440-3804.

A 21-year-old mother wants to make her infant's first Christmas special, despite the threat of homelessness looming over their heads in the new year.

By April, the mother, who requested not to be identified in this story, and her 6-week-old baby must move out of the one bedroom they share with roommates in Wahiawa as their lease was not renewed. The woman spends $550 a month on rent and says she can't afford much more.

"I'm afraid of ending up living on the beach with my daughter," said the mother, who is a cashier at a Tesoro gas station and earns $7.75 an hour. "I'm looking for an affordable place."

Still, the woman says she's taking it "one day at a time."

Given her tight budget, the mother hasn't had enough money to buy toys for her infant or even new baby clothes and a crib. She's finding it hard enough to keep her little one in diapers and supplied with formula.

The woman said her co-workers gave her a baby shower and provided her with clothes for a baby boy. She was pleasantly surprised, however, when she had a baby girl.

Now, the woman added with a laugh, she would like to outfit her infant with just a few "pink, girlie" get-ups.